5 Cockroaches in Virginia

Image courtesy of David Monniaux CC by SA 3.0
Cockroaches can be a serious problem and it only takes a few to start a serious infestation in your home. Once a cockroach wanders in looking for food and water, it can only take a few weeks for it turn into a full-blown insect infestation. Here are five types of cockroaches found in Virginia.

American Cockroaches

The American cockroach is large and grow up to one and half inches long. It can fly. It is also known as the Palmetto bug or water bugs. These roaches are a reddish brown and may have pale marking along the sides. These cockroaches tend to come in your home during the winter or after a rainstorm. The prefer the temperature to be around 84 degrees. American roaches will eat a variety of food including cheese, beer, hair and glue.

Brown-banded Cockroaches

These small cockroaches look similar to German cockroaches, but they have white bands across the body. These cockroaches may be found in your home. These cockroaches do not need as much water and so they will spread out into your living room and bedrooms. They will feed on a wide variety of things including trash and even nylon. When they invade your home, they can live for up to 206 days.

German Cockroaches

German cockroaches are light brown and small. They are different from brown-banded cockroaches because they have distinct dark parallel streaks that run down the back starting at the head and moving down to the base of the wings. German cockroaches will not survive outside and need warm weather. They are usually found in homes, restaurants or institutions like nursing homes. The German cockroach reproduces the most rapidly out any cockroach and likes sweet, fatty foods, starches and meats. They will eat glue or toothpaste if other food is not available.

Oriental Cockroaches

Oriental cockroaches are another common cockroach found inside homes. These are darker in color than German cockroaches and can be dark brown to almost black. They prefer areas that are damp and can be found around pipes that leak and in sewers. They move more slowly than other cockroaches but can prove difficult to kill since they may wash the insecticide off when they travel through water.

Wood Roaches

Wood roaches are unlike the other cockroaches listed. While they are the most common roaches in Virginia, they primarily live outside. It is not easy for a colony to be established inside of your home, and so you usually do not need to treat for these roaches. You can find wood roaches around heavily wooded areas. These roaches will fly, and have a white margin just behind their head.
The experts at EcoTek can help you correctly identify and treat any cockroaches that you may have in your home. It is important to work quickly to eliminate any roaches with cockroach control treatments to prevent an infestation from taking hold.